


The Favor

by AshWinterGray



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Babysitter Steve Harrington, Caring Steve Harrington, Confused Steve Harrington, F/M, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, High School, Hurt/Comfort, School, drugged, mention of non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-31 22:57:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17858606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshWinterGray/pseuds/AshWinterGray
Summary: Hopper showing up at his door is alarming for several reasons. For most, it would be because he was the Chief of Police. But for Steve, it meant there was a potential threat. And now was not the time for him to be cooking dinner.





	The Favor

**Author's Note:**

> I'M ALIVE!!!!!!!
> 
> Not sure if I like this one, but I haven't posted in so long, I figured this would do during your wait.

            Steve was making himself dinner when the knock came on his door. Thankfully, he had just gotten the water to boil for his mac n’ cheese, so he dumped the noodles in and went to answer the door.

            “Chief?” Steve questioned, a little confused to see the police chief on his doorstep. But that confusion turned to horror in an instant because _the Chief was on his doorstep._ “Did something happen? Is the gate open? Are the kids alright?”

            “Slow down, Harrington,” Hopper grumbled as he shifted. If Steve didn’t know any better, he would have said the shift was awkward. “Nothings wrong. Now can I come in or what?”

            “Yeah, yeah,” Steve shuffled a bit so Hopper could step inside.

            As he still had food cooking, Steve led Hopper to the kitchen. Steve didn’t cook all that often. He only did it when his leftovers tended to run out. Which just so happened to be that night. So Steve went back to where he had a casserole waiting to go into the oven and he slid it into the awaiting heat as Hopper sat himself at the over large dinning table.

            “I need a favor,” Hopper blurted out.

            And that made Steve stop.

            “What?”

            Hopper released a deep sigh, as if this whole situation physically pained him. Then again, Steve’s head was whirling. Jim Hopper, the Chief of Police, needed a favor from _him_ , Hawkins former king and playboy. That just didn’t sound right. Hopper was supposed to arrest him for something dumb, not ask him for a favor of utmost importance. It made Steve’s head hurt.

            “Listen, you know Jane has another year of cabin fever, right?” Hopper began.

            And how could Steve not. Dustin had been the one to tell him about it after the snowball. Then he started carting the kids around and of course Mike complained, and the others talked about it, and Max and Will really wanted to meet her properly. It was a mess.

            “Yes,” Steve nodded, his interest peeked.

            “Well, I’m thinking about letting the kids come visit her sometimes,” Hopper began, and quickly held up his hand to stop Steve from talking. “The thing is, they will need supervision. Which is where you come in.”

            “Me?” Steve felt the word fall past his lips.

            “Yes, you,” Hopper grumbled. “I can’t ask Joyce because she works, as does Jonathan. And I’d ask Nancy, but that would just cause problems between her and Mike, and she can’t drive. So you’re the best option.”

            So he wasn’t even a first choice. That was fine. Not really.

            “The thing is,” Hopper sighed again. “I can’t watch her because I have my own job, but she gets lonely with nothing but dictionaries and soap operas. She needs someone there. So I figured to start, you could go over everyday after school and maybe get to know her. Then, once she feels comfortable around you, we can maybe invite the kids over.”

            Which sounded reasonable. Jane, or El as the kids insisted she be called, probably wouldn’t want a complete stranger watching her while she spent time with her friends. So Steve nodded.

            “Yeah, I can do that,” he confirmed.

            Hopper seemed relieved by that as he released a less tense breath.

            “Thanks,” he muttered, only to bolt up. “Now we just got to share the rules and regulations.”

            What had Steve gotten himself into?

\-------------------------------------

            Finding himself with El, alone in the cabin, was ten times more intimidating that Steve would have liked. There wasn’t anything wrong with the girl, just her weird psychic powers. Because, honestly, how did one deal with the equivalent of Jean Gray.

            Steve blamed Dustin for his sudden X-Men knowledge. El just motioned him to the couch and TV when he entered, and Steve had just been flipping through channels as he waited for El to finish the work she was doing for homeschool. What Steve did not expect was for El to tug at his sleeve.

            “Help, please?” she gave him puppy dog eyes.

            And, no, Steve could never resist puppy dog eyes. He looked at the word book she was holding and visibly relaxed. It was math. Math was his best subject. Something his father had been proud of.

            “Alright,” Steve rubbed his hands together. “Let’s see. Oh. This is where that PEMDAS thing comes in.”

            “PEMDAS?” El asked.

            “Uh-huh,” Steve nodded. “It’s also known as order of operations. You need to break down the equation in order to solve it.”

            Steve quickly wrote PEMDAS at the top of the page and broke down what it meant and how to use it for the equation. He found himself sitting next to her at the dining table as he checked her work. She was definitely a child genius, picking up things quickly. She’d be in high school with her friends in no time.

            “Wow,” Steve whistled as he checked his watch. “That late already, we should probably go ahead and eat something.”

            El instantly raced to the fridge and pulled out something that made Steve nearly choke on air.

            “Are those TV dinners?” Steve asked incredulously.

            El looked down at the boxes and nodded.

            “No!” Steve shook his head, taking the dinners away. “No way. Not happening. There is no way. Nuh uh. We are going to eat real food, not this processed stuff.”

            “Processed?” El asked in confusion.

            “It’s food that is cooked a specific way to be reheated,” Steve began to dig around the fridge. Not much to work with, but there was a thing of chicken in the fridge. He could use that. “It’s why it tastes funny.”

            “This is not processed?” El asked as she pointed at the chicken Steve took out.

            Steve shook his head. “This will take great if cooked right. Do you have any olive oil?”

            It was a good thing Steve was used to being creative with his meals, because Hopper was seriously lacking in basic necessities. El, clearly eager to learn, was helping where she could. And she watched in awe as Steve finished cooking and set the chicken on the table. Hopper walked in at that moment.

            “Steve cooked,” El beamed and pointed to the chicken. “Come eat with us.”

            Us? Steve figured he was just going to go home and eat his leftovers from the other day. But Hopper was already grabbing a third chair, and El was grabbing three plates and three sets of utensils. Steve wasn’t sure what to think as he sat down, but it was nice to have someone to eat with at dinner.

            “So do you like Steve?” Hopper asked quite suddenly.

            El, much to Steve’s surprise, nodded eagerly. “He taught me PEMDAS.”

            Hopper quirked a brow at Steve and listened to El explain what Steve had taught her.

            “Can he come back?” El asked with wide eyes.

            And now it was Steve’s turn to stare at Hopper. “You haven’t told her?”

            The chicken was good, by the way. Steve chose to focus on that as Hopper told El about his plan. El took the news rather well that she was basically being assigned a permanent babysitter.

            “Don’t think of me as a babysitter,” Steve told El as he bid goodbye. “Think of me more as protective older brother. If that helps at all.”

            El shrugged, but she nodded too, and Steve was out the door with a wave. It had certainly been an interesting day.

\-------------------------------------------

            “Steve?” El asked one day from across the table where they were both doing homework. “What’s a birthday?”

            Steve chocked. Did she really just ask that? But then Steve had to remind himself that El was raised in a lab. The poor girl had probably never been told when her birthday was. Let alone what a birthday was. It made Steve ache.

            “It’s a special day,” Steve grinned, “where people celebrate the person born on that day.”

            “Born on that day?” El asked.

            “Yeah,” Steve nodded. “Like my birthday is in August, just before school starts. People would come to my house, and there would be a party, and presents, and all sorts of games. And there would be a cake.”

            “A cake?” El asked, eyes lighting up.

            “Yeah,” Steve grinned softly at El’s excited face. “Someone would put candles on the cake and light them up. Then everyone would sing happy birthday to the person before they would make a wish and blow out the candles.”

            “Do I have a birthday?” El asked softly, nervous.

            “You were born, weren’t you?” Steve nudged El with a grin to make her feel better. “Perhaps that guy, Owens? Perhaps he knows when your birthday is. Or we could ask you aunt Becky.”

            El nodded happily, going back to her work book. And if she drew cake and presents on her paper, Steve pretended not to notice. For the moment. Steve brought up the matter to Hopper, who eyed his little girl with pained eyes. He clearly hadn’t thought of her birthday, and the Chief wondered when the last time Hopper celebrated his own birthday was.

            Hopper found out when El’s birthday was. He told Steve and Joyce. Of course, Joyce planned a party for the girl. Of course, everyone who cared about her showed up and was eagerly presenting gifts. The games were fun too, and El was beyond happy. And her face was the happiest anyone (except Mike) had seen her when they brought out the cake.

            Steve’s gift, however, made Hopper groan and El squeal.

            “Now you won’t always be so alone whenever Hopper isn’t there.”

            The fact that when he wasn’t always there was left unsaid, but El seemed to catch on as she lit up. The puppy squirmed in her arms, licking her chin as El laughed and giggled. Hopper glared but didn’t make a comment. El named the dog Buddy.

            But that wasn’t the last gift.

            Hopper revealed to the six kids that he was going to let them start spending time at the cabin, so long as Steve was with them. Which got mixed reactions from everyone.

\-------------------------

            Steve watched as the kids all tried to play a card game. Steve was pretty sure they were trying to play blackjack, but that was not at all what he was listening too. He gave up on just assuming. They decided on card games because D&D was still something El was trying to wrap her head around. Steve had tried to help her, but he was confused on a few things and they both agreed the boys were the experts.

            Buddy was stretched on Steve’s lap, biting at the dog toy Steve had got him. He didn’t quite grasp the concept of fetch, though he had been trying to teach the dog with El. It was going. Slowly.

            “I think we should take a break,” Will _finally_ suggested after the 23rd argument. Steve was keeping track.

            “Fine,” Mike huffed.

            The boy clearly had reached for El, but said girl was already reading over Steve’s shoulder. Her eyes watched as Steve read between an old essay he had written and trued to fix it with a new one. He and El had poured over the essay the day prior to see what needed to be done. Despite her knowledge gap, the kid was a genius.

            “Better,” El smiled at him.

            Steve grinned and reached over his shoulder to rustle her hair. Yeah, this was definitely better. And if El hadn’t been so instant, none of this would have gotten done any time soon. Dustin was quickly on Steve’s other side, reading over the terrible first draft.

            “Dude, this is awful,” Dustin stated.

            “Gee,” Steve exaggerated. “Really? I had no idea. I mean, it isn’t like I’m totally trying to rewrite or anything.”

            “Okay, okay,” Dustin raised his hands in surrender. “I was just saying.”

            Before Steve, or anyone else, could retort, a knock came on the door. An unfamiliar knock. Basically meaning it wasn’t the familiar code knock that they had all been taught. As the six kids and one teen all held their breath, the unfamiliar knock came again.

            “Get in the bedroom,” Steve hissed under his breath as he began to creep towards his bat, Buddy falling from his lap and into El’s arm. “Now.”

            The kids scrambled, trying not to make a sound, but failing miserably. And once the door was shut, Steve threw open the door and swung the bat. Only to use all of his muscles to stop the bat inches from Jonathan’s flitching form.

            “What are you doing?” Jonathan demanded.

            “What am I doing?” Steve practically screeched. “What are _you_ doing? What happened to using the secret knock?”

            Jonathan, realizing what he had done, looked guilty as he hung his head. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s been a rough day.”

            As Jonathan looked back up to Steve, Steve took notices of the other guys form. Jonathan looked awful. His pupils were blown, his body was shaking, he looked dead on his feet. It was almost like-

            “Were you drugged?’ Steve blurted out.

            Jonathan’s body trembled more at the comment, seeming to shrink in on himself. And that was all the answer Steve needed. He raised a hand, gentle and slowly.

            “Is it alright if I touch you?” Steve asked, lowering his voice.

            Jonathan shook his head at first, not meeting Steve’s gaze. Then there was a beat as Jonathan began to nod his head vigorously. Steve carefully cupped the upper part of Jonathan’s arm and probed the boy inside. The six were emerging from the bedroom, and Steve instantly shushed them as he led Jonathan to the couch.

            “I’m going to cup your head, okay?” Steve explained his actions. “Let me know if you feel dizzy?”

            With his other hand, Steve cupped Jonathan’s head, still cupping his arm with the other. The other still hadn’t stopped shaking, and he wouldn’t look at anyone. Will tried to talk, and Steve had to stop him. He understood that Will cared for his brother, but Jonathan didn’t need to be crowded right now.

            “Okay,” Steve spoke, keeping his voice soft. “Do you want the kids to stay, or do you want them to huddle in El’s room?”

            There was an implied second part to that question. Jonathan knew it. Steve knew it. And even the kids knew it.

            “Leave,” Jonathan whimpered. “Please.”

            Max was the one to herd the others away, especially Will. That made Steve a little nervous, though he wouldn’t address that just yet. One person at a time. With the kids gone, Jonathan curled forward, and Steve gently moved his hands accordingly. Before he knew it, Jonathan’s trembling form was tucked under his chin and into his chest.

            “Jonathan,” Steve probed gently.

            “I was getting off work,” Jonathan’s voice was barely a whisper. “I didn’t think anything of it. It was just another day. I don’t really know why.”

            He was stalling. Steve pulled Jonathan closer, trying to give off a sense of protection and safety. Steve hadn’t bullied Jonathan since the day at the Byers house in 1983. And he’d been sort of friends with the other since after the possession of Will Byers. Whatever Jonathan was about to tell him, it was safe with him. He wasn’t going to let anything said fall against Jonathan.

            “I got dragged into an alley,” a crack in that sentence from his voice. So much pain. “No one saw. They were good about that. They kept shoving something into my mouth, and I kept trying to cough it back up. And there were other people trying to. Trying to.”

            Steve didn’t need to hear anymore. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you. I won’t let them.”

            “There were sirens,” Jonathan continued. “The people who grabbed me thought it was the police and ran, but it was just an ambulance. I ran too. Got in my car and started driving. But they. It’s not okay.”

            “No, it’s not,” Steve whispered back. “It’s really not. I’m so sorry this happened. You’re safe here. I promise. But you need to tell me who.”

            Jonathan was shaking more. “Please,” Jonathan shook his head. “Please.”

            “I want to help keep you safe,” Steve whispered back. “The kids will want to keep you safe. _Chief Hopper_ will want to keep you safe. But we need to know.”

            Later that night, Hopper got back to see six kids surrounding Steve and Jonathan, fast asleep on the floor. Even Jonathan was asleep, though the soft whimpers were only soothed by Steve gentle, babysitter hand. Steve watched Hopper like a hawk as the older man stepped into the cabin.

            “Full confessions,” Hopper stated to Steve. “But most of them have pretty wealthy parents. I can’t guarantee the court will do anything.”

            Steve scoffed. “Good thing my parents are richer.” He quickly soothed Jonathan as another nightmare overtook. “Did you call Joyce?”

            “I did,” he nodded. “But she will figure it out. We both know that.”

            “I’d be disappointed if she didn’t,” Steve let out a chuckle. “World’s best mom knows all about her kids.”

            Hopper nodded and went to the kitchen where dinner was waiting for him. Steve was right, Joyce did know all about her kids. Even those kids that weren’t her own. And if Joyce was right, there was a conversation he would need to have with Steve. But not now. He’d let Steve keep face in front of the kids. For now.

\--------------------------------

            Much to the protest of several protesting parents, Jonathan’s assaulters were all charged as adults and condemned to prison. Steve made sure of that, even if he wasn’t too fond of the sentence. He thought it should have been longer. Joyce practically coddled her son when she found out, and Nancy was furious. Not that Steve talked to Nancy. But the biggest change was his relationship with Jonathan. Where he was distant with Nancy, he and Jonathan had become friends. Which had the entire school turning heads.

            Another plus was that Steve got a B on that essay. El was proud of him, and had Buddy give him kisses. Steve just laughed the whole time.

            But things made another turn when Hopper came home early.

            “El, I need you to go to your room,” Hopper told his daughter. “Steve and I need to talk.”

            El frowned. “Did Steve do something wrong?”

            “No,” Hopper shook his head. “But I need to talk to him, okay?”

            Steve really wished El had been her usual stubborn self and stayed. But he soon found himself at the dinning table, sitting across from Hopper.

            “What’s this about Hop?” Steve asked shakily. “Is something wrong with the others?”

            Hopper shook his head. “Steve,” and Steve wasn’t sure he liked that tone. “I’m going to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest with me. Dead honest. Can you do that?”

            Could he? Steve wasn’t sure. It depended on the question, and Steve honestly couldn’t think of what this could possibly be about. He just stared, all the probing Hopper needed in his eyes.

            “When was the last time you saw your parents?”

            That was _not_ what Steve had expected. And boy was _that_ a loaded question. Huh.

            “I don’t know,” Steve confessed. “I honestly can’t remember.”

            Hopper seemed to crumple quite suddenly, and it confused Steve to no end. Especially when he was suddenly pulled into a hug by the other man. Then again, it got worse as Hopper began to cry. Very confusing.

            Before Steve knew it, he was spending at least three weeks at the cabin without going home. Hopper kept insisting, and he even got El involved into the begging. And Steve could not turn down El. It wasn’t a thing.

            “Hopper?” Steve asked one night. “Why am I here?”

            “Well,” Hopper seemed concerned. “I guess the best answer to that is that something created us, and you’re here for a purpose.”

            Steve blanched. “No, I mean why am I here? In the _cabin._ On your _couch._ ”

            “Oh,” Hopper blinked. “Well that was embarrassing. You’re here because we want you to be. But if you need a better reason, consider it repaying the favor.”

            Steve could live with that.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm not dead. 
> 
> The reason it has been a while is because I am currently working on two separate stories. Poor planning on my part, but hey, they'll be good. Just gotta give me time before I can post again. I'll see if I can drop a one-shot here and there while you guys wait.


End file.
